


Mission:  Shatter

by Velvet-Muffin (MischaBea)



Series: Mission Universe [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-19 18:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1480006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MischaBea/pseuds/Velvet-Muffin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prequel short detailing a glimpse into Brynja and Bruce's previous relationship.  Written prior to Wading In which delves deeper into that past.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel short detailing a glimpse into Brynja and Bruce's previous relationship. Written prior to Wading In which delves deeper into that past.

The alarm beeped from the far bedside table. I lay as still as possible as the other side of the bed rustled and the alarm was silenced. If I didn’t move maybe he’d let me sleep a little longer. But no, he pressed the full length of his body against my back and ran his hand over my exposed shoulder, pressing a kiss at the base of my neck. I groaned but smiled as well. “Too early. Don’t make me get up yet. Too late at the lab last night.”

Bruce chuckled into my shoulder. “I’m well aware. I was there, remember.”

I stretched and rolled to face him with a grin. “Well, maybe if we had just gone to sleep as soon as we got in…”

“Well how was I to resist this beautiful woman in my bed?” 

I silenced him with a gentle kiss. “Stop it.” I said against his lips. 

“No, I will not,” he smiled. “I’ll tell you you’re beautiful whenever I feel like it. I love you, Bryn.” I tried to pull the cover over my head but he caught my pleased look as I hid. “Hey, look at me.” He peeled the blanket back from my face.

I cringed. “I’m not good at this, but you know how I feel.”

“Do I?” he asked, teasing. “Tell me anyway.”

“I love you.”

“There we go.” He chuckled again, leaned back, stretched and peered down at me. “You know, I fully intend to spend my life making you happy. Picket fence, minivan, 2 kids and a dog, whatever it takes. That's my plan.”

I barked out a sharp laugh. “I don't know if that's the best idea. I'm not exactly the maternal type.”

“I can’t think of anyone who’d be better.” He ran his hand through my hair.

“You're crazy!”

“So, is that a yes?”

“Was there a question in there?” I asked, then decided to answer him, knowing immediately what he was getting at. “If you’re asking if I would possibly consider producing tiny humans for you in the future? Yes. Yes, I possibly would.”

“Excellent. That’s settled. Next shower. Then work.” 

I groaned and threw the blanket back over my head.  
_______

 _But that’s the rub isn’t it. There are no happy endings. Fairy tales aren’t reality. The best laid plans and all that. Hope is a toxin. It infects reality, distorts it to make existence seem something it’s not. Better to live in the world as it is, with the honesty of pain.  
_ _______

“Why?” I asked, tears brimming in my eyes. “Why can’t we try and work this out?”

“It’s not something to work out, Bryn!” Bruce had turned and stalked across the room. He was trying to keep his emotions in check. “I’m a monster. I’ll hurt you.”

I followed him, placing my hand on his shoulder. “You won’t hurt me. I know you. You’ll learn to control it. I’ll help you.”

He turned to me, his face filled with fear, regret, and longing. “You can’t help me. No one can.”

I looked up at the ceiling and let out a mirthless laugh. “This is crazy. We don’t even know-”

“I do know!” He was raising his voice now. “This is not a situation that can be handled! I’ve seen how S.H.I.E.L.D. handles things. I wouldn’t even want to be a part of that!”

I stood, stunned for a moment. “Is that what this is about? My involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Doesn’t exactly help matters.” The slight tilt of his head and purse of his lips showed how upset he truly was.

Now it was my turn to raise my voice. “I’m not S.H.I.E.L.D. right now. Outside the lab I’ve never been. Everything here has been real.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that? I trusted you. But now, I don’t even know you. For all I know, you could have been involved in the ‘accident’. You could have orchestrated it. You were right there with me.”

The slap of that statement made me reel. I felt the tears, hot and wet, sliding down my cheeks. Not pretty tears, not the kind to win sympathy. The uncontrollable kind that only come only in times of the purest grief, when you know you’ve broken something of the greatest value, irreplaceable things that will haunt you for the rest of your days. I slid into an uncomfortable plastic chair and dropped my head onto the adjacent table and whispered, “I didn’t. I promise you.” 

There was a squeak as another chair was pulled out. His comforting arm was placed across my back. “I’m sorry,” he murmured into my hair. “I know. This is the problem. I’m a mess. I can’t really foresee a future when I am ever not a mess. You deserve better.”

I lifted my red, dripping face off the table and turned to him. “I really don’t. And I don’t want better. I want you.”

He shook his head, his eyes rimmed in red but resolute. “It’s not possible.”

“Okay.” The decision final, I dried my eyes as I stood up. My shoulders pushed back, I forced a neutral expression. “It’s been a pleasure working with you Dr. Banner.” I turned and left the room, left the facility, left that life behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not really a separate chapter but the same chapter changed slightly and written from Bruce's perspective. Done for a writer's workshop but I figured I'd share.

The alarm beeped next to him on the bedside table. Bruce reached over and flicked the switch with a practiced hand, then rolled to his side to regard the woman lying next to him. She was too still, eyes pressed closed slightly too hard. He smiled to himself and scooted against her, running his hand over her bare shoulder. He pressed a gentle kiss at the base of her neck and she groaned. 

With the hint of a smile, she murmured, “Too early. Don’t make me get up yet. Too late at the lab last night.”

He chuckled into her shoulder. “I’m well aware. I was there, remember.”

She stretched and rolled to face him, that familiar Cheshire Cat’s grin playing across her lips. “Maybe if we had just gone to sleep as soon as we got in…” 

“Well, how was I supposed to resist this beautiful woman in my bed?” He knew calling her beautiful would make her uncomfortable. He enjoyed teasing her that way, seeing the color dance across her cheeks. Besides, it was true and she needed to hear it.

She gingerly pressed her lips against his. “Stop it,” she mumbled into his lips.

“No, I will not,” he pulled back, happy with the effect. This morning he was going to keep pushing and see how much she was willing to put up with. “I’ll tell you you’re beautiful whenever I feel like. I love you, Bryn.” 

Her reaction was as expected. She made an attempt at pulling the blanket over over her head but her face beamed in a way he’d rarely seen. She was clearly pleased at this development. 

He felt his own grin straining the boundaries of his face. “Hey, look at me,” he said, pulling the blanket back, uncovering her once again.

She grimaced in a half pained, half elated expression. “I’m not good at this, but you know how I feel.”

“Do I?” he asked, pushing the boundaries of his teasing. “Tell me anyway.”

“I love you.”

“There we go.” He chuckled again, sat up, and stretched. Even if everything at the lab went to shit, it would still be a successful day. He took a deep breath before continuing. He was about to really test her limits. Peering down at her he continued, “You know, I fully intend to spend my life making you happy. Picket fence, minivan, 2 kids and a dog, whatever it takes. That's my plan.”

Her shocked expression was accompanied by a sharp laugh. “I don't know if that's the best idea. I'm not exactly the maternal type.”

He ran his hand through her hair. He couldn’t even begin to tell her how much he wanted that future for them. “I can’t think of anyone who’d be better.” 

“You're crazy!” she laughed, but her eyes belied the hope he was sure she’d meant to keep hidden.

“So, is that a yes?” He nudged her even more, wondering if he was pushing too far.

“Was there a question in there?” she asked with an incredulous look. After a sigh, she continued, “If you’re asking if I would possibly consider producing tiny humans for you in the future? Yes. Yes, I possibly would.”

Again his face ached from the smile he couldn’t contain. “Excellent. That’s settled. Next shower. Then work.” 

He jumped out of the bed as Brynja groaned and hid again under the sheets.

 

Hard to believe that had been less than forty eight hours before. It was all completely irrelevant now. Hopes? Dreams? All a lie in an unforgiving and insane world.

The woman he’d thought he'd known, the woman he’d been convinced he loved asked, “Why? Why can’t we try and work this out?”

“It’s not something to work out, Bryn!” Bruce had turned and stalked across the room. He tried to keep his emotions restrained. “I’m a monster. I’ll hurt you.”

Brynja followed him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “You won’t hurt me. I know you. You’ll learn to control it. I’ll help you.”

He turned, barely containing the fear, the rage, the longing. “You can’t help me. No one can.”

She pushed out a mirthless laugh towards the ceiling. “This is crazy. We don’t even know-”

“I do know!” he nearly roared. “This is not a situation that can be handled! I’ve seen how S.H.I.E.L.D. handles things. I wouldn’t even want to be a part of that!”

She stared, stunned. “Is that what this is about? My involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Doesn’t exactly help matters.” Not that it made any difference. Still, he was angry at her betrayal.

“I’m not S.H.I.E.L.D. right now,” she shouted, “Outside the lab I’ve never been! Everything here has been real.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that? I trusted you. But now, I don’t even know you. For all I know, you could have been involved in the ‘accident’. You could have orchestrated it. You were right there with me.” Shit. He was certain he didn’t believe that even as the words departed his mouth.

She pulled out a chair with a look of disbelief. As tears began to stream over her cheeks, she collapsed into it. “I didn’t. I promise you,” she whispered as her head fell to the table.

He cursed under his breath. He knew she was blameless of that even if she'd hidden plenty from him. Sitting in the adjacent chair, his arm snaked around her. “I know,” he murmured into her hair. “I’m sorry. This is the problem. I’m a mess. I can’t really foresee a future when I am ever not a mess. You deserve better.”

Lifting her head, she replied, “I really don’t. And I don’t want better. I want you.”

He shook his head, resolute. “It’s not possible.”

“Okay.” She stood and wiped her eyes, before pushing her shoulders back and declaring, “It’s been a pleasure working with you Dr. Banner.” Then she turned and left the room without looking back.

Bruce managed to wait until she was safely out of sight before he let the rage overtake him.


End file.
